The Arbiter's Human
by Darkness593
Summary: When a human is raised in the Covenant, will it spell the end of the Earth, or will it be the bridge that unites both sides? Halo belongs to 343 Studios and Microsoft Industries.
1. Chapter 1

**This story may have a lot of time jumps, both back and forth, as it goes along. Starting point/earliest point will be during one of 'Vadam(The Arbiter)'s earliest missions against human colonies, before he became a Ship Master.**

Thel 'Vadamee couldn't be bothered with the sounds of war around him or the bodies of his allies, some he would have even considered brothers, falling before him. He had been given explicit orders to slaughter the village, and so he would. Remaining calm, despite the carnage behind him, he entered the stone jungle the humans called home. The barriers on their buildings were thin and fragile, though 'Vadamee knew better than to waste his weapon's power on such a meager thing. He waited for the inevitable footsteps to run towards him.

"You aren't taking _this_ planet you Covenant BASTARD!" the human soldier yelled in one of their ridiculous languages, though which one, 'Vadamee didn't know as he was wearing a translator.

'Vadamee raised his weapon and blew the human's head off with a single shot. He then put his weapon away and approached the decapitated body as it dropped to it's knees before falling backwards. He picked up the human's weapon and inspected it. Once he found what he was sure was the trigger, he squeezed his finger into the small space and fired at the fragile barrier. The first five shots went straight through it, but the sixth completely shattered it. He put the primitive weapon on a holster usually reserved for a larger weapon on his back, figuring it may be useful to his mission, and pulled out his rifle as he entered the building. The interior was something akin to a large dining hall with a short wall lined with human drinks in the back.

'Vadamee could hear the human's cowering behind the wall and wasted no time disposing of them. He threw one of the grenades given to him by one of his superiors over the wall and exited the way he had come as the wall, and the humans, blew apart in a cloud of blue smoke. He repeated the process, sometimes using human grenades, sometimes using his rifle, in every building in the settlement.

The last building he arrived at was small, likely a personal dwelling. He smashed the door down with his body weight and fired at the two humans. 'Vadamee chose to explore the dwelling, in case there were any human soldiers hiding like their had been in the past few buildings he demolished. As he approached the tiny human staircase, he heard a noise. It was small, yet very loud. He rose up the steps to investigate, breaking a few of them under his weight. and let the sound guide him. He pushed open a door and saw the unmistakable and universal shape of a cradle. In his few missions, 'Vadamee had never once seen a human infant, so his curiosity, for once, outweighed his code of honor towards his orders. He looked into the cradle at the child and at once, the noise ceased.

The child, like most humans 'Vadamee encountered, only had fur on it's head. The color of it's eyes reminded 'Vadamee of the sunset back on Sanghelios. It was difficult to tell whether it was male or female due to it being wrapped up in a blanket. It's pudgy arms sat on top of it's wrapping as it stared at him with innocent bewilderment.

'Vadamee shook his head and put his mind back on the mission. He brought his rifle up and pointed it at the child's face. The child showed no fear, it actually seemed to enjoy what was happening. It's lips curved upwards as it reached up and held the other end of the rifle with both hands. It opened it's mouth and let out a soft, yet loud noise. A laugh. It thought he was playing with it. His mandibles clicked as he noticed his finger trembling on the trigger. He cursed himself and pulled his rifle away. He looked out the opening in the wall and saw that it was sundown. His superior would be coming to retrieve him from the mission. He began to leave and looked back at the cradle. An idea struck.

'If I cannot kill this child,' He thought, picking it up out of the cradle, 'perhaps the Prophets will allow me to turn it into a weapon to use against the humans?'

'Vadamee met his superior in the middle of the human settlement. He instinctively held the child close to keep it from being blown away by the drop ship.

"Well done," The crimson armored Sangheili praised, then noticed the bundle in his arms, "but you seem to have missed one."

"I have a plan for this one," 'Vadamee explained, "But if the prophets do not accept it, then at least I will have brought us a living human specimen to study."

"An excellent prize either way," His superior nodded, gesturing for him to take his place with the survivors of the battle.

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"Do you understand the insanity of this plan?" The High Prophet of Mercy asked after hearing Thel 'Vadamee's plan, "What if the child sides with it's birth race? We would be facing a battle from within!"

"I understand that," 'Vadamee spoke, looking at the Prophet he spoke to, but keeping his eyes on the High Prophet of Truth, "But if it were raised as though it were on of our own..."

"One of our own!?" The High Prophet of Regret cut him off, "You would have the child linked with all in the Covenant?"

"No your Honor, only the Sangheili."

"No," Truth said in a tone so calm, everything in the room, both living and non, seemed to go silent, "I will grant you the right to train this child. But you must do so yourself. If it turns against us, it will be a stain on your honor alone and you alone shall receive punishment. We will not let you drag your people down with you. This discussion is over. You may go."

'Vadamee simply nodded and left. He made his way to one of the medical stations, where the child was being studied. He entered the bay and noticed an Unggoy soldier holding his wrist as though it had been severed.

"But it touched me!" It said in the panicked voice 'Vadamee had grown accustomed to hearing from them, "Are you sure nothing bad will happen?"

"Yes," A Kig-Yar medic pushed him away, "now stay out of my way, I have _real_ emergencies to take care of."

'Vadamee made his way to the back of the room and noticed a Sangheili in black armor, a specialist, waiting for him. The child itself sat on an operating table, to busy trying to chew on what was probably the Unggoy soldier's hand guard, though it had no teeth, to pay attention to what was happening around it. It had a wrap tied tightly around it's waist and between it's legs.

"What are you here for?" 'Vadamee asked the specialist.

"To identify the human for you," The specialist explained, "It is an area of expertise very few choose to study. After all, who would want to learn about the diversity of the race they are trying to kill?"

"And what have you discovered?"

"It's female, which is probably the most important detail. It belongs to a human sub-species known as the 'Japanese', which in itself is a sub-species of the 'Asian' human group."

"Why do human's separate themselves based on how they look?" 'Vadamee asked.

"Likely for the same reason we are classed based on species." the specialist said before turning to leave, "Good luck with your human. The gods know you'll need it."

"Wait," 'Vadamee stopped him, "What of a name? She must be given a name that will be accepted on Sanghelios, but is not Sangheili in nature. Are there any names in her birth tongue that might allow that?"

"For her house of birth, we can just call her Ningen, which is one of the many words in her language that roughly translates to human. As for a personal name, something short and easy to remember would be preferred. The only name in her tongue that would fit anywhere is Aika."

"Does that translate to anything?"

"Not that I know of." the specialist walked away.

'Vadamee turned back to look at the child, who just seemed to notice his presence. She reached her arms out to him in the hopes that he would pick her up.

"Aika Ningen," 'Vadamee said silently, "I will ensure that you become the Covenant's greatest weapon against the humans."

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 **Seventeen Years Later**

Aika Ningen, now Aika Ningenee with her acceptance into the Covenant, donned her new crimson armor. It had taken her only a year to accomplish what her Sangheili brothers normally took a decade of battle to do. She had become a Field Master. She had fought under her teacher while she was a mere soldier, and now she was being given command of her own battalion. Her only problem with her new position was that she wasn't placed on Thel 'Vadamee's ship. She thought it would be spectacular to be a Field Master assigned to missions by the Ship Master who trained her, but she was instead assigned to a more experienced Ship Master and could only watch as 'Vadamee ordered his troops to load a Phantom that would be flown to his ship, which waited just outside of Covenant High Command. 'Vadamee saw her watching and waved for one of the Field Masters in his crew to take over the load. He walked over to her.

"The armor suits you," 'Vadamee commented.

"Not as much as yours suits you," Aika said back, looking out the hanger at the waiting ships, "So, you will be aiding the Truth and Reconciliation in the fight against the human world Reach?"

"No," the black armored specialist, Zuka 'Zumamee, said as he passed to board his own crew's Phantom.

"The Prophets gave me new mission at the last minute," 'Vadamee explained, "We will be scouting the ringworld."

"Halo?" Aika gasped, "Are you nervous?"

"Only if the heretics who spoke against this mission are correct."

"Heretics?"

"There are some who believe that the ringworlds are not Holy Relics left to us by the Gods, but doomsday weapons meant to destroy us. They also believe that Halo hides a great danger, and that the best course of action is to destroy it."

"And you hope to discover the truth, don't you?" Aika asked, receiving a nod in response.

Aika then did something rarely seen in the Covenant, mostly because it is something best done in private. She embraced the Ship Master and held him tight.

"Good luck," She whispered to him, "Father."

She then let go and left to join her own troops on the wait for a mission. 'Vadamee watched her leave before turning to board a Phantom.

 **Please let me know if you want me to continue. If I do, I will likely jump straight to Halo 2 with cuts to Aika's training.**


	2. Chapter 2

A fleet of Phantoms roared through the sky above New Mombasa. Below them, a battle raged on between the humans and the Covenant. There was, however, one combatant that stood out. A human girl in Covenant, more specifically Elite, Battle Armor. She had engaged a towering human in green armor. This particular human had quite the reputation among the Covenant. He single-handedly, or so they thought, destroyed Halo and had been given the title of Demon by the Covenant troops. The "Human Elite";Aika 'Ningenee, had chosen to engage the Demon personally as she knew that protecting Halo was her adopted father's responsibility, and it's destruction had put the largest stain possible on his honor.

She had managed to separate him from his weapons, only to have the same done to her. Now the two were locked in single combat. He seemed to live up to his reputation. He was as strong as he was imposing, but where he was strong, she was agile. Where he was fast, she was faster. Her training on Sanghelios had pushed her far past limits that most humans likely didn't even know they had. She had been bred to be an unmatched warrior, and she was proving it in this very fight. However, the Demon was something else, he didn't seem to be held by the same limits as normal humans; he was actually giving her a challenge. She let a smile break out on her face from the rush she was getting out of the fight, but it died away as soon as she heard a transmission being sent to all Covenant soldiers.

"With his failure to protect Halo," the unmistakable voice of the Prophet of Truth rang in her ears, "the Elite assigned to protect it has been branded with the Mark of Shame. He can no longer afford to protect the human in our midst. Kill her on sight."

As if through some dormant instinct, Aika tackled the Demon into the building behind him to dodge the resulting barrage of plasma that flew past the area they were just fighting in. She then quickly got up and leaned against a wall to process what had just happened. She already knew that the Covenant would turn on her one day, but that didn't change how much of a shock it was.

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 **Ten Years prior**

Thel wrapped the fourth wound Aika had received in the days training while the girl looked around the training grounds. The Sangheili boys gave her dirty looks. Whether it was because she was human or a girl, she didn't know, though it was likely both.

"They hate me," the child spoke to her teacher, "don't they?"

"Yes," Thel stood, causing the child to arch her back just to see his face, "It is currently impossible for them to view one human as being different from the others. You will need to work to earn their trust. But just know that even if you manage to do that, their loyalty to the Covenant will always outweigh their trust in you. If they are ordered to kill you, they will not hesitate."

Aika looked around again. While the boys were doing their energy sword training with sticks, Thel had her using the real thing.

"This will be our last sparring session for several weeks. I am needed on the front." Thel picked her up and put her on her feet, "While I am gone, practice the combat stances. I expect you to have mastered them when I return."

With that, Thel left the training grounds while Aika simply stared at her weapon. Aika activated it and began her training, slashing at enemies that weren't there. The icy stares she felt the boys giving her drove her to swing harder than her wounds would have otherwise allowed. If her brethren were going to hunt her in the future, she would make sure that she was be uncatchable.

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 **Present**

Aika felt the Demon's gaze on her. He was clearly curious as to why she would save him. She said nothing, she simply stood and walked past him, further into the building. As she walked, she heard the crunch of the Demon's footsteps behind her. She tore her armor off, piece by piece, discarding her ties to the Covenant with each removed armor pad. She kept only her Energy Sword, as it tied her not to the Covenant, but to her adopted father, the only member of the Covenant that she remained loyal to. She stopped when she reached a set of stairs and turned around, her hand outstretched.

"The only way we will survive this battle is if we work together," she told the Demon what he no doubt already knew, "Take me into custody if you wish, but know that I will only remain on your side until I find out what happened to my father. What say you?"

The Demon looked to the side, as if conversing with someone who wasn't there. He faced her again and took her hand.

"We'll work together to get out of here," The Demon's voice conveyed years of experience in the field, "from there, we'll go our separate ways."

When the plasma fire stopped, the temporary allies raced up the steps and hid in adjacent rooms, waiting for the inevitable search squad. After a few moments, Aika heard the unmistakable sound of whining Unggoy soldiers. They were alone. Aika smirked as a shaking Plasma Pistol entered her line of sight. Without hesitating, she grabbed the Pistol and drove her knee into the piece of the methane apparatus keeping the soldier alive on his face. There was a satisfying CRUNCH as the strike drove the Grunt's head back, snapping it's fragile neck. This result was due to the fact that the armor restricted her rather than helping her. As she shot down the remaining Grunts, Aika noticed that the Demon had obtained a Needler. Upon closer inspection, she realized that while the Demon was human, his stature and power put him beyond any other. She looked at her new weapon. From here on out, the former humans would have to rely on each other rather than kill each other.


	3. Chapter 3

Aika blew the head off of one of her former troops and picked up his body to use as a shield as a pair of Hunters burst through a wall. Luckily, she knew how to hide from them. She quickly lowered herself into the freshly made pile of Covenant corpses and waited patiently. In order to take them both out, she had to wait for the right moment and move quickly. If she was fast enough, she could have them both dead before either fired a shot, as, judging from the sound of things, one of them was currently trying to kill the Demon with it's shield. A loud thump told Aika that the second Hunter was right on top of her, no doubt trying to search the surrounding area for her. She held her breath as she waited for the corpses to shift. Whether she was hidden for a few seconds or a few minutes, she didn't know, she just knew that she had to wait for just the right moment. She reached back to touch the ground so she could calm her growing nerves, but what she grabbed wasn't coarse and flat, but round and smooth. A grin lit up her face as she realized what she had grabbed. Her heart was racing in anticipation when the corpses finally shifted.

In an instant, Aika burst through the opening between the Hunter's legs, activated the Plasma Grenade, charged her Plasma Pistol, planted the grenade on the Hunter's exposed back, and fired a shot at the other Hunter's back before rolling through the hole in the wall. She heard the explosion and a roar, telling her that her shot had missed, but then heard a second explosion. She peaked around the corner and saw the Demon approaching her. He switched the Needler he held for his discarded weapons. He then tossed Aika hers. The two continued down the path the Hunter's opened up. They came across fallen human and Covenant soldiers as they passed. The Demon took tags of some sort off of the human soldiers while he switched his sidearm for what he must have thought was a better one.

After what felt like hours of bloodshed, mourning and weapon transfers, the two finally arrived at large stretch of road where a human carrier ship met them. It dropped off the human equivalent to a Wraith.

"Get in," the Demon gestured to the carrier ship, "after I deal with that," the Demon pointed to a Scarab stalking in the distance, "we're going to take the fight to the Covenant. We can go our separate ways then."

Aika looked the Demon over and decided it best not to argue. She climbed into the ship and sat in one of the seats. As the ship left the battlefield, Aika watched the Demon climb into the large vehicle and drive off in the direction of the Scarab.

"So you're the Covenant turncoat are you?" The soldier at the mounted turret called to her, "Cheif mentioned that you'd be willing to help us until you find the Elite you're looking for."

"I said I would fight beside him, not your army," Aika explained.

"Either way, you're not gonna be much help to anyone like that," the soldier gestured to Aika's lack of armor.

"And who are you to judge my usefulness in the field?"

"Sergeant Avery Johnson. The _other_ human survivor of the destruction of Halo."

Aika looked Johnson over. He wasn't nearly as imposing as the Demon, but his grizzled features showed just as much experience, or perhaps even more, as the Demon's voice.

"What did you have in mind?" Aika asked.

 **...**

 **Six years prior**

Aika followed Thel and another Elite through the armory on a ship that had seen a lot of action, if the sparking cotrol pads were to be any indication. At the back of the armory was an examination table with human weapons on them.

"Why are these here?" Aika asked.

"When you are out in the field, you must be ready to use any weapon at any moment," Thel explained, "These are here so that you may learn about the weapons our enemies use, so you may use them against their owners."

"There's not much here," Aika pointed out.

"These were all we were able to scavenge from our battles," the other Elite explaine as he took his place on the other side of the table.

Aika scanned the items before her. Her education on Covenant weaponry allowed her to easily identify explosives, regardless of make or shape. It was really only the guns she needed to learn about. She picked up the smallest gun and examined it from every angle before slipping her fingers behind the guard. It felt surprisingly comfortable in her grip. She aimed the weapon at the far wall and gave the trigger a test squeeze. A BANG sounded as a projectile struck the wall, leaving a dent. Now equipped with the knowledge that the weapons were loaded, she carefully placed the gun back on the table.

"That weapon seems to have it's own class system." The Elite behind the table explained, "some are so meager that only the Unggoy need fear them. Others are strong enough to take out an entire squadron of us, if the shots are placed well enough."

"How do you know they can take us out?" Aika asked.

"Because I've seen it happen." Thel explained.

Aika looked to her father, then back at the weapons. She hesitantly picked up the longest gun.

"The humans use that weapon to shoot from a distance. The projectiles are fired at such a fast rate that even our shields cannot trigger in time."

Aika didn't need to take a practice shot to understand the workings of this weapon as it was similar enough to the Beam Rifle she practiced with several weeks ago. The other weapons on the table looked like human variations on the Carbine and Plasma Rifle.

 **...**

 **Present**

After the battle against the Scarab, the Demon joined the other soldiers, along with Aika, on the human ship _Amber Clad_. They were now tailing the Prophet of Regret's ship through slipspace.

Aika examined the battle rifle she had been given along with the only armor they had in her size. The armor was similar to the Demon's, but not quite as imposing. It was probably because she was wearing armor worn by soldiers known as 'Helljumpers' while the Demon's armor was created specifically for warriors known as 'Spartans'. She was in the middle of tying her long hair in a fashion that would allow her to wear the helmet when she noticed the actual Helljumpers staring at her. The men had goofy grins on their faces while the women averted their gaze when they caught her attention.

"Why are they staring at me?" Aika asked the Demon, who was selecting his own weapons for the coming mission.

"They find you attractive." the Demon stated plainly, "Which you are, not just by human standards, but military standards as well."

Aika then realized something.

"I only know you by what the Covenant calls you," Aika explained, "If I'm going to be working with you, I should know what to call you."

The Demon took a large weapon, likely the human equivalent to a Fuel Rod Cannon, and placed it in a pod before answering her.

"I'm Master Chief Petty Officer John-117," the Demon stated, "Considering the nature of the people who raised you, you'll likely feel the most comfortable calling me either 'Chief' or 'Spartan'."

"Very well Spartan, you may call me Aika."

The Spartan nodded and returned to the weapons.

 **What do you think Aika's signature weapons from each faction should be? The Energy Sword doesn't count as it acts more as her Sangheili ID. The Battle Rifle is not a confirmation since it was given to her. Her signature weapon will be something she chooses to take into battle. Any thoughts.**


	4. Chapter 4

_Amber Clad_ exited slipspace to a shocking revelation. They had tailed Regret all the way to another Halo. Once she realized that, Aika grabbed a Sniper Rifle off of the rack and placed it in her pod. She didn't plan on missing a single shot.

"All right," One of the Helljumpers approached Aika, "You don't need to do much beyond praying your pod doesn't get shot down. Once you land, just hit the release bolts," he showed her the four bolts, "and BANG, your off to the races. Basically the pod does most of the work." Aika nodded in understanding, "OK people, we drop in ten."

Aika fastened herself in the pod and waited for everyone else. The Spartan closed her hatch for her before entering his own pod.

"How are you feeling?" A female voice sounded in the helmet's COM.

"Fine. This was a long time coming after all."

"I've been wanting to speak with you since you decided to spare John back on Earth, you know."

"You're an AI, aren't you?" Aika called the voice out, "I knew your military had them, I just never met them."

"I'm Cortana. John and I have... a history."

"I figured. Why else would you join him in the field?"

"So you noticed?"

"Well, it was either you, or he talks to himself a lot."

"I can hear you both." the Spartan stated over the COM, causing both girls to chuckle.

The pod buckled as they prepped for drop.

"Here we go," the leading Helljumper said over the COM.

The other Helljumpers pumped themselves up by hooting and hollering over the COM. Their enthusiasm even seeped into Aika as she heard the floor open beneath the pods. Her heart raced as the pods dropped. She heard the artificial wind of Halo as the pods speed increased in it's artificial gravity.

"Wait for it..." the lead Helljumper said as they descended, "NOW! hit the button on your handle rookie!"

Aika wrapped her hand around the handle and squeezed the button. Her body jerked as her descent was forcibly slowed. The rest of the trip didn't take long. It actually felt like only three seconds had passed between Aika squeezing the button and the inevitable CRASH.

 **...**

 **Six Years Prior**

When she first started group training, Aika could barely keep up with the Sangheili boys. Now she was running at point, dodging the obstacles the Field Master had put in their way with such grace and precision that some of the boys tailing her couldn't believe she was the same human that had slowed them down only weeks prior.

In truth, Aika had been working day and night to break her limits. She had even convinced her father to bring his squadron in to present a real field experience to better motivate her. Compared to plasma blasts and exploding needles, dodging sting darts and pebbles was simple.

As they came to the ravine that pinned most groups, Aika spotted a rock formation that would make things different. She signaled for the boys to go to "Cover Crevice", the normal hiding spot, before breaking formation and sprinting for the rocks. She pounced from rock to rock like one of the predators she read about in scriptures her father had given to her. She slid in between two rocks as the training soldiers arrived with their stun weapons. She slid down until she hit the bottom and backed into the wall... which shifted. Aika turned around and had to cover her mouth to keep herself from screaming in surprise at the sight of her father leaning against the wall.

"I had the same strategy during my test," Thel said to the surprised girl, "Only the brightest children have ever gotten in here. The Field Masters always left some kind of tide turning weapon in here for the lucky soldier. When I got in here, I found a training class Plasma Rifle, the first of it's kind. I wonder what they left for you?"

Aika took a deep breath to shake off the shock of her father being there and looked around. There was a faint blue glow coming from behind some rocks to her right. She inched closer to it and reached behind the rocks, gripping the training class weapon. She pulled it out to reveal that it was a Carbine. The weapon was heavy in the young girls grip, but nothing she couldn't handle, thanks to her father's training. She held onto the weapon as tightly as she could as she begun the climb out of the rocks. As she reached the open air, she spotted the trainers closing on the crevice, their backs to her. She jumped down and quietly stalked towards them. Her lighter, human, body allowed her to move quickly while retaining her stealth. When she reached the rear soldier, she raised her weapon above her head and cleaved it down on the massive adult's back, as she was trained to be ruthless, even in training. The Elite fell forward, the jarring impact sending him into shock. She opened fire as she ran for cover, taking down another trainer with the stun bolts. The ammunition cartridge popped up, signaling the start of the training weapon's recharge period. Now that they knew she had a weapon, Aika didn't think she would be getting another lucky melee strike. She dived into the trees and heard two of the remaining seven soldiers follow her. she hid in a nearby bush and held her breath, choosing to wait them out rather than face them head on.

 **...**

 **Present**

The doors of Aika's pod burst off and she stepped out.

"Could we _possibly_ make any more noise?" Cortana asked as the Spartan stepped out of his pod a short ways away. The Spartan pulled out the large weapon in response, "I guess so."

The Spartan approached Aika and helped her to better identify with her new armor.

"Pistols," he pointed to a clip on the outside of her right thigh, "Grenades," he pointed to the back of her belt, "Rifles," he gripped her right shoulder, which had the Sniper Rifle clipped behind it, "Launchers." He gripped her right shoulder. He then gestured to a narrow path along the side of the cliff, too narrow for him, "Stick to the sidelines and find a Covenant camp while we push through the middle," Aika nodded, "I hope you find your father."

"And I hope you shut the Prophets up once and for all." Aika said, smirking beneath her helmet.

Aika turned and started along the cliff face, hugging the wall for support. She gripped the Battle Rifle as tightly as she could so she wouldn't drop it, as she would need every weapon she had at her disposal to accomplish her goal. She stopped dead when she heard an aircraft approaching. Knowing it was too early for human reinforcements to arrive, she turned her head, hoping for something small. She gripped the wall as she saw a scouting Banshee. The pilot must have seen her as well, because the Banshee started coming towards her. She looked down as the Banshee fired on her. Hot plasma struck the wall below her and the bolts gradually hit higher and higher as the Banshee leveled out. She clenched up as a bolt struck the ledge beneath her feet and jumped when a plasma bolt flew past her arm. She kicked off the wall, launching herself at the Banshee. The pilot saw her coming and made to bank, but was too her free hand, she grabbed the middle of the wing and swung herself to the back. She then pushed her rifle between the Elite pilot's exposed legs and pulled the trigger, shredding it's groin and killing it. As the Banshee began to plummet, Aika pulled the Elite corpse out and took it's place.

The Spartan didn't know the Covenant the way she did. A camp wouldn't get her the information she needed. She needed to get onto a ship, and her new ride was the ticket to get in.


	5. Chapter 5

Aika didn't waste any time landing on the ship, she just rammed the Banshee right into a pair of Hunters standing in the hanger. She hopped out of the Banshee and immediately came under fire. She dived away from the oncoming plasma fire and took cover behind the Banshee. She peeked out at her attackers and recognized most of the soldiers as her former comrades, which meant she was on the ship she served on before she became a Field Master, the _Heretic's Comeuppance._ She then got an idea. The Grunts and Jackals wouldn't hesitate to fire at her, but the Elites? They knew her, they accepted her, so they might listen to her.

"You know me!" she called in Sangheili.

After a few seconds, the lead Elite called the squad off.

"You wear the armor of the humans," the Elite called, "You have betrayed us."

"The Covenant betrayed me first! When my father received the Mark of Shame, Truth didn't hesitate to order my death. I did what I had to do to survive. I may wear their armor, but they do not have my loyalty. My loyalty shall always be to Sanghelios!"

There was only silence for a few moments before more plasma rounds were launched, but none struck the Banshee. She risked a peek out of her cover and saw the smoking corpses of the Grunts and Jackals at Elites' feet. She stepped out of her cover and pulled out the Battle Rifle in case it was a trick. She approached the Elites as the lead, a Field Master, stepped forward.

 **...**

 **Six years prior**

The training Carbine beeped and clicked to show that it had finished recharging and Aika immediately burst from the bush. She used her full body weight to trip one of the instructors from behind, swiping his weapon as he fell and using it to deal with the other instructor before smacking the first one in the face with his former weapon. She then grabbed the other instructor's weapon and made her way back to the ravine.

She stopped just beyond the visible edge and used the Carbine's scope to see where the other instructors were. As she feared, they were patrolling the edge of the tree line. They had clearly identified her as the biggest threat, as she was the only student who was armed. She needed to get her newly acquired weapons to her teammates, but how? She looked to the left and spotted a point along the tree line that wasn't being patrolled and got an idea. She slowly moved towards the empty space, careful to avoid fallen branches so as not to alert the instructors to her presence. She picked up the largest pebble she could find as she moved. When she got close enough, she chucked the pebble as hard as she could through a bush by a tree and used one of the apprehended weapons to fire after it. The instructors noticed the blaster fire and the lead instructor signalled for all but one of the remaining lesser instructors to investigate. Thankfully, they went in the direction shots were going rather than where they were coming from. Aika sighed in relief and travelled to a clear point closer to the crevice where her teammates were still hiding.

She slung the Carbine on her back and took a deep breath. If she wanted to get to the crevice, she would need to go through two more instructors simultaneously. It would've been simple if not for the fact that the head instructor was a Field Master in the war. Aika took several more deep breaths to ease her trembling hands as she held the apprehended weapons.

She closed her eyes and asked herself, "How would dad handle this?"

Her breathing the resumed it's natural rate as she opened her eyes and realized exactly how he would have handled it. He would go all out, so she would too. She stood and booked it full tilt out of the cover of the trees and fired relentlessly on the instructors. The lesser one was caught off guard and fell quickly, spasming uncontrollably as various currents raced through his body, but the head instructor dived behind a boulder. Aika kept the guns trained on the boulder as she raced for the crevice. She kept her eyes peeled for movement, but her sight was still nothing compared to the trained Elite. The instructor dived from his cover to a new one, firing as he went. Aika dived into the crevice to evade the blasts, but one struck her in the leg, making it go numb. She crashed on the ground, the apprehended weapons flying from her hands and landing at the feet of her teammates. No one came to help her up. She understood why, but it still angered her.

"We're in this together you know." Aika pushed herself up into a sitting position, "It wouldn't hurt to show some gratitude to the person who gave you a fight chance to finish the course."

"You will have our gratitude once we _do_ finish it." One of the boys stated.

"You won't without me and you know it. Or did you forget that I was taught by Thel 'Vadamee?"

"We followed you this far, but no further. We would take loss as Sangheili over victory under a-"

"Human?" Aika cut him off, "Only by blood. In heart and spirit, I am as much a Sangheili as any of you."

"The Covenant thinks differently."

"TO HELL WITH THE COVENANT!" Aika snapped at the boys, making them double back, "If they can only accept what's on the surface, then I could care less what they want with me. But Sanghelios is my home, you are my brothers. If we get through this, we do it together, not as Elite Cadets, but Sangheili warriors."

The boys stared at her in way they had never done before. Could it be admiration? Or even respect?

"On this day, I swear to you, I will fight for the covenant as a soldier, but only a soldier." She shakily stood up, "The Covenant is our goal..."

 **...**

 **Present**

"... but Sanghelios is our responsibility," Aika's eyes widened as the Field Master repeated her words back to her, "We fight together, for our loyalty is to Sanhelios, our Ship Master's is not."

"Thank you," Aika offered her hand, and the Field Master grasped it, "But will we be able to convince the others?"

The doors to the ships corridors opened before the Field Master could respond and several Grunts took aim at the group. Before any of them could fire, several of steaming blue plasma blades lit up the hall and came down on the lesser soldiers.

"We heard everything," an Elite said as he and his compatriots deactivated their Active Camo, "your conversation was over an open channel."

"Then the Ship Master knows that we are coming," The Field Master turned to Aika.

"This will be a mutiny," Aika informed her brethren, "Are you sure you want to follow a human?"

"We won't be following a human." One of the Elite's spoke up.

"That's right," another agreed, "we are following the daughter of the greatest Elite in our parents generation."

"We would give our bodies for the Covenant," the Field Master stated, "But for you, we will lay down our lives!"

The other Elites roared in agreement. Aika's heart raced at the sight of so many Sangheili willing to die for her. If her father could see her now...

 **...**

 **Forerunner installation- Immediately after the Heretic's death**

The Arbiter approached the Phantom that would take him back to High Charity. He stopped as an open distress signal sounded over the com.

"Requesting assistance aboard the Heretic's Comeuppance," a Ship Master's voice sounded throughout the area, "The human bitch survived Earth and has infiltrated the ship. Now she has somehow convinced my Elites to form a mutiny. I'm not sure how long I can hold them off."

The Arbiter knew of only one human who fit that description. He clicked his mandibles in satisfaction. The Human Elite was still alive, and that could only mean that things were about to change. But now he could no longer avoid thinking about what he would do if the Prophet's ordered him to go after her. Would he have the courage to defy the Prophets?

 **What should Aika's Weapon Loadout be? Just so you know, I'm treating her Energy sword as her knife(assassination weapon).**


	6. Chapter 6

The Elites aboard the _Heretic's Comeuppance_ took cover behind some weapon pods as the inevitable Brute retaliation commenced, followed closely by Drones. Luckily, the _Comeuppance's_ halls were too confined for the Drones to be able to utilize their wings without getting shot down by their comrades. One of the Field Masters looked around his ranks to ensure that no one was being a complete idiot and peaking out of their cover. He noticed that the one among them he expected to be on point regardless of what anyone else said was nowhere to be seen. He turned to another Field Master.

"Where is she?" He asked.

The other Field Master looked around and only then seemed to notice that Aika was gone. Before either could even guess where she went, one of the Grunts among their assailants screamed as a drawn out, pained roar faded in. Then came the sound of bodies being trampled and an unmistakable voice.

"BEEP BEEP!" Aika yelled as she rode in on an unwilling Hunter, using it as a living battering ram by piercing its vital points with the knife that came with the human armor as well as a jagged piece of metal, no one wanted to think about how or where she got it.

"Is that a human strategy?" A foot soldier asked.

"I would guess that it's an abridged version," A Field Master stated, "the humans usually use vehicles."

"Don't just stand around boys," Aika called as she mowed down some Brutes, "the bridge isn't gonna storm itself."

"She hasn't been gone that long, yet I already believe she's been spending too much time with the humans." The foremost Field Master clicked his mandibles before rolling out of his cover, "FORWARD!"

In groups of three, the Elites emerged from cover and followed their sister to continue their siege on the bridge. Any enemy troops who were smart enough to dive out of the Hunter's path were quickly dispatched by the waiting Elites. Aika knew that their effective method of shortening the battle wouldn't last much longer, as she had to backtrack quite a bit to find a pair of Hunters and the battle to obtain the one she rode, combined with the steady stream of blood gushing from her mounts wounds, meant that she would be lucky to reach the bridge with it, let alone take out the Ship Master. Knowing that the Hunter was as good as dead, she unpinned a grenade and jammed it into it's exposed flesh. She then yanked out the knife, let go of the metal, and jumped off while the Hunter continued it's charge. The shrapnel from the explosion devastated some Grunts who thought they were lucky enough to have dodged the Hunter, while the corpse itself crushed a Brute who thought they were strong enough to hold it up. Aika then threw her knife at another Brute, lodging the blade firmly in it's throat. The Brute pawed helplessly at the knife, but it's own blood made it impossible to get a good grip on it. An Elite kicked the knife further in as they pushed ahead, ending the Brute's life then and there.

Aika pulled out her Battle Rifle and sprinted to the head of the pack, tackling a Jackal and swiping it's shield before crunching it's neck with her foot. She then launched herself forward, using the shield to take the brunt of the force as she pushed through the enemy forces, instantly downing foes as she passed by shooting them in the dicks with pinpoint accuracy. She knew how tough most Brutes were, but even they weren't capable of taking cock-shot's without at least dropping to their knees, making them easy pickings for her allies. As soon as she reached the bridge, she put the Battle Rifle away and pulled out the Sniper, killing the officers with head shots before they could even react to her presence, proving any rumors about her being a master crack shot true. She dropped shield and walked up to the main platform when the other Elites caught up, pulling out her Energy Sword to face the Ship Master one on one in order to properly challenge him for his title and ship in honorable combat. The Ship Master responded to her blade with his own and didn't hesitate to charge at her, just as she predicted. Unlike her father and some other Elites, most Sangheili become slightly more lax with their comfy position on the bridge, as they had grown used to the distance between their enemies and themselves. Aika slid under the Ship Master's swipe, sticking her Energy Sword straight up as she slid between his legs, something only a human of her frame and training could have accomplished. The Ship Master screamed in pain as the Energy Sword burned through everything below his rib cage through the middle, starting from the front, and coming out slicing through his spine. She didn't give him the chance to inspect the damage as she was back on her feet in an instant. The last hing he saw was her blade coming out of his chest. The Elite's roared as the Ship Master's body hit the ground and pledged their loyalty to her in a more official manner before taking their positions in the ship to fly it as well as take out stragglers.

 **...**

 **2 hours later- Secret camp on Halo**

Aika had used her armor's communication unit to contact any surviving Helljumpers, informing them to meet her at her location. She had told them that she was with allies, but that didn't stop the inevitable confrontation. Most of the Elite's chose to remain aboard the _Comeuppance_ while the humans remained on the ground. Aika had brought the highest ranking Field Master to meet with the lead Helljumper in order to exchange information. The two glared at each other, but still cooperated. The most alarming news, to Aika at least, was that there was a new Arbiter doing the Prophets' bidding. With this news, they figured it was best to remain with the _Comeuppance_ in case they needed a quick escape. Aika had another idea however.

"I'm taking a Banshee to meet up with the others," Aika explained, "The Spartan needs to know about the Arbiter."

"Not possible," the Helljumper stated, "Chief's signal disappeared. We still don't know if he's still alive, but knowing him, he probably is."

"What about Johnson?"

"Captured, along with Keyes."

"Then it's a rescue mission."

"We'll go with you."

"No! If I go alone I'm less likely to be spotted. Stay on the ship and don't let anyone in, no matter what."

"Why?"

"Because of the parasite," the Field Master explained, "if they were on the other ring, it stands to reason that they would be on this one as well. Anyone who approaches could be infected."

Aika didn't wait for another protest, she just made her way to a Banshee and took off, simply going off of the hope that the Elites and Helljumpers wouldn't tear each other apart.

 **...**

 **Chances are, when all is said and done, Aika will form her own unit with the Elites who pledged to her, but one question remains. Will she also include some ODST's, or even some standard Marines?**


	7. Chapter 7

Aika flew for what felt like hours, not finding any trace of human survivors. Covenant camps tried to contact her as she flew over, but she simply used a trick taught to her by her first Field Master, one of the nicer Elites, to trick the com system into thinking the Banshee's out of range. It's a convenient trick when a pilot just wants a little privacy, or in her case, when the Pilot isn't Covenant. The only things being reported through the comms were Flood sightings, and requests for assistance fighting the parasite. Other than that, nothing. Aika sighed as she tried the human frequencies recorded in her helmets HUD for the third time since she left the Comeuppance. She braced herself for the empty static and jumped when she heard two pings. She looked at the radar, she never bothered learning the official name, in the bottom corner of her HUD and saw two yellow dots just a short ways ahead. She wasn't sure which frequency did it, but she was glad it did, until she realized where the dots were actually located.

A pair of Phantoms flew over her, the two dots passing her own indicator as they did. This meant that there was only one option for rescue, board a Phantom the same way she boarded the Comeuppance. Unfortunately, she could already see two problems with the plan. One, the target is moving, rather than being stationary above a camp. Two, her window was about twenty times smaller, meaning it was more likely that she would ram the ship. Then again, what choice did she have? After all, the only thing crazier, and more likely to work would be to fly at the Phantom at top speed, pull up at the last second, jettison the Banshee and hope that she had enough momentum to carry her through her targeted opening. Seeing as both plans were riddled with problems, and was more likely to survive Plan A should it fail, she stored Plan B in the back of her head and changed her course to follow the Phantoms.

She approached the Phantoms and aimed for the rear one, bringing her Banshee up to ramming speed as she aligned herself with the starboard turret. It was at the very last she realized that Banshee wouldn't be flying after this maneuver and ditched her ride just as the wings clipped off. Luckily, she jumped at an angle, allowing her to roll into a wall, instead of tumbling right out the other side. She very clumsily got back up, grabbing onto a Grunt and yanking it's arm so hard that it was dislocated, then tossing that Grunt at a brute just to give her that extra bit of time to reorientate herself. She then took a split second to assess her current predicament. Completely surrounded, Johnson held prisoner and she couldn't feel the weight of her guns anymore, which could only mean that they got caught on the Banshee when she ditched it. There was only one way to gain the upper hand: improvise.

She charged at Johnson's captors, body checking a Jackal and wrenching it's Plasma Pistol out of it's hands. she then shot Johnson's unarmored captors in the face and, as they recoiled from the hot plasma, Johnson tackled a Grunt and swiped it's Needler. It was two on twenty, maybe more, now and Aika instinctively stood back to back and began firing at everyone on the ship. It was a full on massacre that lasted all of fifteen seconds, leaving the pilot, a Grunt so frightened it had pissed itself, as the only remaining Covenant soldier aboard the Phantom.

"Can you fly this thing?" Aika asked Johnson.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking _you_ that?" Johnson gave her a look, but received no response, he sighed before answering her question, 'Yeah, I can pilot a Phantom."

"Good," Aika shot the pilot, then proceeded to shoot the seat a couple times to get the smell of Unggoy piss out of the cockpit, "We've made a camp not far from the Citadel, though I've been informed that your military calls it the Control Room."

"Funny, that's exactly where these guys were heading."

"Then it might be a good idea to bring out the Comeuppance's Scarab."

"I like the way you think." Johnson smirked as he maintained the Phantom's course.

 **...**

 **1 Hour Later - Path to the Control Room**

After a hard fought battle to reach the Citadel, Arbiter found himself on the wrong end of a Light Bridge with console to activate said bridge destroyed. He stood alone, with his only method of getting to the door being a banshee. As great as his skills were, even _he_ had to admit that avoiding the Wraiths and Banshees of the Brutes would be nearly impossible, but it was his only chance. He turned around to board the Banshee, but stopped when he heard a loud _thunk._ He turned back around and was face to face with a Scarab.

"Now listen up," Arbiter recognized the voice of the human he fought in order to obtain the Sacred Icon, "You don't like me and I sure as Hell don't like you, but if we're gonna get into that control room, We're gonna need to work together. We'll take care of the trip, but I expect you to help out with the furry bastards trying to kill us."

Arbiter didn't need to be told twice. He jumped from the platform to the scarab and found his way to a turret. The human at the turret looked at him as he approached, he didn't need to see through the helmet to know that this one was glaring at him. The human gave up the turret willingly, but didn't leave quietly, as proven by the sudden impact on Arbiter's face. He didn't strike back as he realized he had felt that punch before, but couldn't remember when at the moment.

 **...**

 **Though we're not there yet, I feel I should mention that Aika will be remaining on Earth while Chief and Arbiter go to the Ark, mostly because Thel doesn't want her taking part in the conflict. Who should she be placed with for the inevitable hunt for Covenant stragglers? Please note that I haven't read all the books, so if you suggest a book exclusive team, you may need to fill me in on who they are.**


End file.
